Community Lounge, Introductions and General Discussion Discussion, Anyone else in favor of Inline six, rear wheel drive luxury cars? in General Discussion; If we have to go the six cylinder route, I am all in favor of Inline-sixes as opposed to the ...

Anyone else in favor of Inline six, rear wheel drive luxury cars?

If we have to go the six cylinder route, I am all in favor of Inline-sixes as opposed to the omnipresent V-6's we seem to be saddled with. The I-6 driving the rear wheels makes for a smooth running better balanced configuration that the present FWD V-6, which at best is only a adequate in a luxury car, can't touch. The FWD set ups only real advantage has been increased interior room. But with most luxury cars coming with front and rear center consoles the advantage of a flat floor has long passed into history.

For many years Jaguar, Rolls, Mercedes got along fine with very good straight 6's. Even the uber heavy brick's that Mercedes has put out over their years have been adequately powered by straight sixes. BMW certainly has won a strong following and respect for their I-6 powered cars (many prefer them to that company's V-8s). So maybe it's time for Cadillac to break with tradition and put together a really smooth rear drive I-6 as replacement for their rougher and lower torque V-6's.

Re: Anyone else in favor of Inline six, rear wheel drive luxury cars?

GM had a fine DOHC inline six used in the TrailBlazer and its variants. Since a straight six is longer than a V6, I'm assuming it's a packaging issue for putting it in cars, not that it has stopped BMW. The Z3 I spent a weekend with two summers ago is probably the most fun I've ever had behind the wheel. All the accolades the BMW six has racked up are deserved.

I drove Chad's S320, and even as heavy as it was, the six did not struggle to move it with alacrity.

Personally, I also prefer I-6's over V8's as well. Silky smooth, (I think) they sound better when properly piped, and they are usually fantastically simple to perform maintenance on in comparison to a V-type engine, whose wide geometry often makes for tight packaging even in RWD applications.

Re: Anyone else in favor of Inline six, rear wheel drive luxury cars?

I loved my little 3.2L I-6 in that S320 I had. 228hp and 232 lb/ft for 4500 lbs and it never felt underpowered. It wasn't overly powerful by any means, but it saw 130mph a couple of times, had a nice flat torque curve, got decent mileage, was super smooth, easy to work on and had a nice melodic sound to it.

Re: Anyone else in favor of Inline six, rear wheel drive luxury cars?

Originally Posted by gdwriter

GM had a fine DOHC inline six used in the TrailBlazer and its variants. Since a straight six is longer than a V6, I'm assuming it's a packaging issue for putting it in cars, not that it has stopped BMW. The Z3 I spent a weekend with two summers ago is probably the most fun I've ever had behind the wheel. All the accolades the BMW six has racked up are deserved.

I drove Chad's S320, and even as heavy as it was, the six did not struggle to move it with alacrity.

Yeah those Atlas inline sixes in the trailblazer were the cat's meow. They made almost as much power as the optional 5.3 v8's you could get in those trucks. Also sucked down just as much fuel, fuel economy in a Trailblazer is pretty comparable to a larger v8 Tahoe.

I've driven a few Lexus products with the 2JZ, those things are so incredibly silky smooth and quiet. Gunning it at 6,000rpms feels just as smooth as idle.

Re: Anyone else in favor of Inline six, rear wheel drive luxury cars?

Originally Posted by Stingroo

My wagon with the same weight, 1.5 liters more displacement, and two extra cylinders gets the same exact fuel mileage.

Yay progress.

Don't forget, even with the extra cylinders and displacement, your car is short on power vs the 275 that I-6 puts out, you lack AWD which he most likely has, and the Bravada is pushing a lot more wind than you at it's ride height.

Re: Anyone else in favor of Inline six, rear wheel drive luxury cars?

For me the space issue with an I-6 is not an issue; I like the "long hood short rear deck" design silhouette and since I always have cent consoles anyway more floor space isn't an issue. The DOHC straight sixes that I had in most Of the jags that I have had provided very good performance when I wanted or needed it, while being silky smooth in every day driving. The V-8's I have had were not as smooth as the I6's.

Re: Anyone else in favor of Inline six, rear wheel drive luxury cars?

The inline six has gone the way of the horse for a reason. BMW is the only 6 that is exceptional but not still subject to the disadvantages of a massive crankshaft. They are heavily engineered & way too expensive to market to the masses.

Re: Anyone else in favor of Inline six, rear wheel drive luxury cars?

Originally Posted by drewsdeville

Don't forget, even with the extra cylinders and displacement, your car is short on power vs the 275 that I-6 puts out, you lack AWD which he most likely has, and the Bravada is pushing a lot more wind than you at it's ride height.

how dare you question the awesomeness of the wagon?!

out of all those negatives all i saw was "Bravada is pushing alot more wind due to ride height!"